Environment Committee - 11/06/2012

At a MEETING of the ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE held at Dundee on 11th June, 2012.

Present:-

BAILIES

COUNCILLORS

Councillor Craig MELVILLE, Convener, in the Chair.

Items marked thus * stand delegated.

I CONTAMINATED LAND STRATEGY - SITE INVESTIGATION CONTRACTS

There was submitted Report No 212-2012 by the Director of Environment updating the Committee on the projects undertaken in 2011/2012 and making recommendations for the continuing implementation of the Council's statutory responsibilities in respect of contaminated land, in particular the letting of contracts for the necessary site investigation works.

The Committee agreed to:-

(i) note the projects undertaken in 2011/2012 as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report;

(ii) authorise the City Engineer to accept the most favourable tender for each work package. A summary of all works and tenders would be provided in a subsequent report at the end of the financial year 2012/2013; and

(iii) approve the expenditure of 89k in financial year 2012/2013 for the purposes of progressing the Contaminated Land Strategy.

II RELOCATION OF MOT AND TAXI TESTING STATIONS

There was submitted Report No 213-2012 by the Director of Environment seeking authority for the relocation and upgrading of the MOT and taxi testing facility from Clepington Road to the Marchbanks Depot.

The Committee approved the proposals to relocate and upgrade the MOT and taxi testing facility and authorised the acceptance of the offer from Gemco Equipment Ltd.

III ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT SERVICE PLAN REVIEW

There was submitted Report No 221-2012 by the Director of Environment advising the Committee that the Environment Department was created in July, 2011 by amalgamating the four former departments of Contract Services, Waste Management, elements of Leisure and Communities and Environmental Health and Trading Standards, and reviewing the performance of the Department in relation to the three individual Service Plans 2010/2012 of Contract Services, Waste Management and Environmental Health and Trading Standards. The review for the former Leisure and Communities Department was the subject of a separate report.

The Committee agreed to:-

(i) note the content of the individual service plan reviews relevant to the current Environment Department; and

(ii) note that the Environment Department was drafting a new service plan based on the Council's new plan and structure. The drafting of the plan would include a detailed review of all the existing service plan objectives, which would be set prior to the amalgamation with a view to establishing new objectives commensurate with the Department's new structure.

IV DAWSON PARK ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS

There was submitted Agenda Note AN79-2012 advising the Committee that as part of a programme of improvements to Dawson Park, it was proposed:-

(i) to erect a fence between the car park at the Dunnottar Place entrance and the park to reduce damage to the grass areas caused by indiscriminate parking and vehicle turning; and

(ii) to extend the existing footpath network to connect to the play area.

It was proposed to refurbish and re-use an existing fence recovered from the site clearance at Allan Street Car Park. The cost of undertaking these works would be 6,555 and the Director of Corporate Services advised that these costs could be met from allowances within the Environment Department's Capital Budget 2012/2013.

The Committee approved the proposed improvements and the Director of Environment was instructed to undertake these works.

Craig MELVILLE, Convener.